The California National Guard is being investigated after being accused of spying on some state residents and destroying documents that may prove the allegations.

The investigation began when a newspaper reporter uncovered e-mail messages that the Guard may have been tracking anti-war protesters at the state Capitol.

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Protest groups gathered at the Sacramento County National Guard Center in Rancho Cordova Wednesday, demanding answers to the allegations. And state Sen. Joseph Dunne, D-Garden Grove, has called for a formal investigation.

"The fact of the matter is, the guard is now refusing access by the state Senate of all information relating to the units and its activities," Dunne said.

The activity in question allegedly took place in the National Guard's Information Synchronization Knowledge Management and Intelligent Fusion Program.

National Guard officials said that they are only monitoring public Web site and news stories.

A National Guard spokesman said: "(We) never spied on people, and we don't intend to start."

Dunne said he won't believe the denial until his get his own investigation.

"President Bush said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. President Clinton said that he didn't have sex with that woman. We can go down the list of public officials that have made very sincere-sounding denials, only to be proven incorrect later," Dunne said.

The senator said he has learned that Pentagon officials are in Sacramento investigating the incident. Dunne and legislative investigator Larry Drivon fear that the investigation could hit a brick wall if military officials seize the evidence.

"That would make it virtually impossible for the state Senate or any other body with state authority to recover that evidence," Drivon said.

"We have also received information from sources that this conduct may not be limited to just California; that, in fact, other units across the country may have engaged in similar domestic activity," Dunne said.